MILAN IS THE SECOND LARGEST CITY IN ITALY AND STANDS IN THE CENTRE OF THE FERTILE NORTH ITALIAN PLAIN. THE SIMPLON AND ST.
GOTTHARD TUNNELS LINK IT WITH THE REST OF EUROPE AND MAKE IT ITALY’S MOST IMPORTANT RAILWAY JUNCTION. IT HAS TWO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS. ABOUT 120 KM (75 MILES) TO THE SOUTH LIES THE PORT OF GENOA.
MILAN STOOD ON THE ROUTE OF ALL THE NORTHERN INVADERS OF ITALY AND SO WAS DESTROYED OVER AND OVER AGAIN. FOR THIS REASON THERE ARE FEW BEAUTIFUL OLD BUILDINGS EXCEPT THE CHURCH OF ST. AMBROSE, BEGUN BY HIM IN THE YEAR 386 BUT COMPLETED IN THE 12TH CENTURY. IN THE CENTRE OF THE CITY IS THE HUGE GOTHIC CATHEDRAL, WHICH HAS MORE THAN 100 SPIRES AND MORE THAN 3,000 STATUES. IT IS THE THIRD LARGEST CHURCH IN EUROPE. ALL AROUND THERE ARE NEW BLOCKS OF BIG MARBLE-FACED BUILDINGS AND SKYCRAPERS, BUT ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS FEATURES OF THE CITY IS THE GALLERIA. THIS IS AN ARCADE, OR COVERED PASSAGE, OPENING OFF THE CATHDRAL SQUARE.
MILAN IS ITALY’S MOST PROSPEROUS MANUFACTURING AND COMMERCIAL CITY AND IS THE COUNTRY’S LEADING FINANCIAL CENTRE. IMPORTANT INDUSTRIES ARE THE MANUFACTURE OF MOTOR CARS AND OF HEAVY MACHINERY SUCH AS RAILWAY ENGINES, ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES, TEXTILES, CLOTHING, CHEMICALS, AND RUBBER GOODS. FOOD PROCESSING AND TOURISM ARE ALSO IMPORTANT. MILAN ALSO HAS STEEL MILLS AND IMPORTANT PRINTING WORKS. AS COAL IS SCARCE IN ITALY, MOST OF THE FACTORIES IN MILAN DEPEND ON ELECTRICITY MADE BY WATER POWER FROM THE SWIFT STREAMS OF THE ALPS.
DURING THE MIDDLE AGES AND THE RENAISSANCE, MILAN WAS RULED BY A FEW FAMILIES OF GREAT LANDOWNERS, AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT OF WHOM WERE THE VISCONTI AND THE SFORZA. THESE FAMILIES BROUGHT MANY OF THE GREAT ITALIAN ARTISTS TO WORK IN MILAN, CHIEF AMONG THEM BEING LEONARDO DA VINCI. THE REMAINS OF HIS GREAT PAINTING “THE LAST SUPPER” CAN BE SEEN ON ONE OF THE WALLS OF THE REFECTORY (DINING HALL) OF THE CONVENT OF SANTA MARIA DELLE GRAZIE. THE CITY IS RICH IN WORKS OF ART AND HAS FOR LONG BEEN A GREAT CENTRE OF ITALIAN ARTISTIC, FASHION, DESIGN, AND LITERARY LIFE. MILAN HAS THREE UNIVERSITIES. ITS GREAT OPERA HOUSE, LA SCALA, CAN SEAT 3,600 PEOPLE AND IS FAMOUS ALL OVER THE WORLD. NOT FAR FROM THE OPERA HOUSE IS THE POLDI-PEZZOLI MUSEUM, CONTAINING MANY FINE PICTURES AND OLD WEAPONS AND ARMOUR.
IN 1500 THE FRENCH CAPTURED MILAN AND FOR 350 YEARS IT WAS UNDER FOREIGN RULE. THE SPANIARDS AND AUSTRIANS FOLLOWED THE FRENCH. IN 1796, NAPOLEON BONAPARTE MADE MILAN THE CAPITAL OF HIS CISALPINE REPUBLIC AND IN 1805 HE WAS CROWNED KING OF ITALY IN THE CATHDRAL. THE AUSTRIANS CAME BACK AFTER NAPOLEON’S DEFEAT IN 1814, BUT THE MILANESE HAD TASTED FREEDOM AND MILAN BECAME THE CENTRE OF RESISTANCE TO FOREIGN RULE. AT LAST IN 1859, AFTER THE BATTLE OF MAGENTA, THE CITY WELCOMED VICTOR EMMANUEL, THE FIRST KING OF UNITED ITALY. ALTHOUGH BENITO MUSSOLINI FOUNDED HIS FASCIST PARTY IN MILAN IN 1919, THE CITY BECAME A CENTRE OF RESISTANCE TO FASCISM AND TO GERMAN OCCUPATION IN WORLD WAR II. AS AN INDUSTRIAL CITY AND RAIL CENTRE IT SUFFERED SEVERELY FROM BOMBING. THE POPULATION OF MILAN IS ABOUT 1,370,000.